Gage walked over and flipped the signal switch by the door. A red light would let someone inside the range know someone was outside the door. He leaned up against the wall and crammed his large hands in the pockets of his jacket. When I made eye contact with him, he winked and then wiggled his eyebrows in a goofy, but sexy way.
“Stop,” I hissed but giggled. There was no getting away from his goofiness.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he whispered and winked again.
“You know exactly what you’re doing and work is not the place for it.”
Finally, after what felt like forever, Jay came out of his cave, “Dude, what the hell?” Gage asked.
“I was busy,” he replied with a strange look. It was as if they were holding an entire conversation with their eyes. “Come on out here, hun.”
I was surprised to see a raven-haired beauty emerge from the range. She had sculpted cheek bones and beautiful brown eyes. Her short curvaceous body made me self-conscious of my own. I loved her almost instantly, especially with her smile. It was adorable and her eyes told me she was a little shy and embarrassed.
“This is Marie. She’s one of us,” Jay said. He looked over to Gage and he nodded his head.
I stuck out my hand and offered a shake, she took it. “I’m Jessica. It’s very nice to meet you,” I smiled. “And welcome to the crew.”
“Thanks. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Jessica, Marie is the reason I called you in today. I would like you to train with her, show her the way we do things. I would like to see what she has to work with,” my boss explained. I nodded but Gage jumped in.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea? She might get hurt.”
Marie looked nervous. I looked at her with assuring eyes and smiled, “Jay taught me everything I know. As long as you can follow directions and take your time, I’m sure you won’t get hurt.” She giggled and nodded her head. Gage looked upset but I ignored him. “Did you happen to bring anything to change into? Something more comfortable?” She was dressed in tight jeans and a decent top that was shifted a little. I didn’t want to think about what she and Jay were doing behind closed doors.
“I came prepared. Where can I change?”
“I’ll show you.” I directed her toward the locker room. She grabbed a backpack from the range and followed me to the locker room. I gave her the locker next to mine.
“I really appreciate this, Jessica. Jay didn’t feel comfortable training me on the mat,” she explained as she grabbed her clothes.
“It’s no problem. You can change over there behind the curtain.”
“Thanks.” she practically skipped away. My self-esteem went right out the window when I saw her tight body in those jeans. After I changed behind a different curtain, I pulled my hair up in the mirror. There was nothing worse than getting hair in your face and mouth when trying to defend yourself. What I saw surprised me.
“Oh, fuck!” I blurted out.
“Are you okay?” Marie shouted.
I was in shock. “Oh, I’m fine, just stubbed my toe.”
I had a crescent moon shape wound on my neck. Gage had bitten me harder than I thought. I was going to kill him. I was slightly pissed off and planned to confront him about it.
Gage was sitting in a chair next to a far wall when I came out of the locker room. It was childish but I stood with my hands on my hips. I was pissed. I think I was even tapping my toe like an angry parent. I hated getting a hickey because they make you look like trash, but a bite was way worse than that. It’s going to take a while to heal. I was going to have to wear my hair down for a while. I love my long hair but I hate it when it touches my neck.
“What’s wrong?” He cut me a sly smile.
“Do you notice anything different about me?”
“Other than the fact that you look sexy as fuck in that outfit? No,” he grinned.
“Don’t start that shit.” I turned my head and showed him the bite on my neck. I pointed to it in a huffy way and then glared at him, “How in the hell am I going to explain this? I don’t want everybody knowing that I had a good time.”
He smiled, stood up, and put his hands on my shoulders, “I did it because you liked it.”
“Gage,” I sighed with annoyance.
“I did it to let everyone know that you are my woman.”
My blood was boiling. A possessive man wasn’t my thing and we weren’t even an official couple. I would have to set boundaries. “We need to have a long talk.”
The seriousness in his eyes captured my attention, “Don’t be angry. Trust me when I say that this tiny mark,” he pointed to it. “It will ensure the respect you deserved when it comes to dating me.”
“We shared a moment. I wouldn’t call that dating.”
“You’re with me now.”
“I am not even gonna pretend to understand what that means.” I turned to walk away and felt a slap on my ass. I stopped in my tracks and had to breathe before I exploded on him in front of Jay and Marie. “Marie, are you ready? Jay, can you start the music, please?”
My boss walked over and got into my bag and pulled out my MP3 player and plugged it into the converter. The Beastie Boys came blasting out of the speaker’s that hung on the walls. Surround sound was always better. I stood on the mats with my eyes closed and took a deep breath, allowing the music to pulsate through my body.
“Alright. Come at me, Marie.” She came at me and grabbed my waist. I shoved her to the floor. “Good. Try again.” I tried to explain what to do. “When you are using takedowns, you want to do what you did, but once you get your hands on me, don’t stop. Try to grab one of my legs and lift up, get me on the ground.” I instructed.
She nodded, “Got it.”
“Now, try again.” I clapped my hands together, trying to ready myself for her impact. I didn’t plan to allow her to get a grip on me. Jay always said I was light on my feet and had cat-like reflexes. I’m sure he was only stroking my ego. I was horrible at this at first.
Marie came toward me but she looked different somehow. All of her beauty was gone and was replaced with a determined rage. I dug my feet into the mat but she knocked me to the ground. Before I could react, she lifted me off the ground and slung me across the mat. I hit the cement floor like a ragdoll. The momentum behind the toss was enough for my body to collide with the wall.
“What the hell?” I was trying to get back up but she was coming at me again. She looked like a determined animal on a mission to kill me. I could practically feel the anger coming off her.
“Marie, stop!” Jay growled but she didn’t.
Gage stepped into her path. He was ready to spring onto her. “Stand down,” he commanded. She was looking at Gage and shaking like a leaf in the wind. If she had a tail, it would be between her legs. “Jay, get her the fuck out of here and from now on, you work with her,” Gage demanded.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“No, you’re hurt. Exactly as I feared would happen,” Gage hissed.
I sat up with my back up against the wall. My right arm felt like it was pulled from the socket and my head hurt. “I think I’m done for the day.” I have never had someone slam me around like that before. Not even my ex was capable of tossing me around like that, no matter how much he tried.
“Jessica, are you alright?” Jay asked.
“I’m sore. I thought she needed training.”
“She does but of a different kind,” Gage growled.
“I’m sorry, Jessica.” Marie’s eyes were pleading for my forgiveness.
“It’s alright.”
“No, it’s not fucking alright,” Gage snapped.
“Give her a break. She’s new at this,” Jay stated.
“Not my problem. You deal with her or I will.” Gage’s tone was menacing.
“Please forgive me, Jessica,” Marie said softly. Her voice was full of emotion and her pretty eyes were flooded with tears. “Are you alright?”
“Let’s go,” Jay took Marie with him. He was clearly bothered by what she did and was whispering angrily to her as they returned to the range. I could never see Jay harming a woman but my past experience with men still lingered with me.
“I guess I wasn’t light on my feet that time, huh?”
“It wasn’t your fault, Jess. He didn’t tell you she already had fighting experience. Fuckin’ asshole.”
“You’re right, he didn’t,” I said grabbing my neck. “Unless we are hunting, I’m going to go home now. I don’t enjoy getting beaten up.”
“Let me have a few words with Jay first.”
“No, Gage. Just let it go.”
“It’s fine. When I get back, we can go for food. I owe you a dinner anyway.”
I grinned and nodded. It would be nice to have dinner with him. Maybe we can count it as our first date since he says we are dating. Probably should have done that before last night but we can’t change it now. I did need to get to know him as a person if we were going to continue our relationship. Plus, I needed to talk to him about this bite. While gathering my things, I could hear Gage talking to Jay. The door to the range had been left open slightly. I was sure they didn’t notice.
“What were you thinking?” Gage demanded.
“I know she’s new but I wanted her to learn to fight,” Jay tried to explain.
“Jason, you know the young ones are unpredictable. You could have had her train with the other women out in the woods. Don’t bring her here again. Not until she’s ready.”
Hearing Gage bark orders to our boss wasn’t something I was expecting. I waited for Jay to bark back at him but he never did. Someone quickly closed the door and I was left with nothing to listen to.
I left the gym and sat down at the desk out front to wait for Gage. Out of boredom, I hit the power switch on the front of the monitor and it came to life. The computer sounded like it was going to die. On the desktop, there was a blank file.
Curiosity got the better of me. Sure, it could have been a file of all the trappings they had done over the years, but I had a feeling it was something more. I opened the file and it was full of new and old newspaper clippings from all the local animal sightings. I couldn’t find anything at the local library. Some were image scans. The claims went further back than I thought. All the way back to the 1890’s. “Why do you have this, Jay?” The description of the animal was the same. Black or dark in color, large, and even one report stated the animal seemed as if it were on fire. Most of the time the creature would disappear from sight in the blink of an eye. I landed on an old image, but it wasn’t all too clear. It was a dark exposure, but I could clearly see a set of bright eyes in the black and white photo. Whatever was looking at the photographer was nestled deep in a wooded area. Another. This time I got chills. It was a trap camera someone placed on a game trail for hunting. The camera was motion sensitive and would take a picture every ten seconds if motion was detected. Clearly, an animal sprung in front of the camera. To my eyes, it looked like a lion. Not a mountain lion but a real male lion. It had the large mane and everything. It was blurry but evident that Oklahoma held some pretty scary creatures in its dark woods. “You, asshole,” I grumbled as I thought of my phone call with Jay weeks ago. He tried to make me sound like I was crazy. I knew there was something to these attacks.
I was startled by the sound of someone coming out the gym. “Shit,” I whispered and quickly hit the escape button. The file disappeared. Jay walked out of the door and closed it behind him. I was pretending to play a card game.
“We are hunting tonight, so go home and get ready then come back here,” he stepped closer to the desk, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing, just playing cards,” I lied quickly.
“The work computer isn’t for games, Jessica.”
“Yeah, sorry. Was just waiting for Gage to come out. Killing time, I guess.”
“I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’ll be here.” I watched as he returned to the gym area. I released a large breath of relief. “Why are you hiding this from me, Jay?” I closed the file and left the building. I waited a little longer before trying to call Gage. He didn’t answer. I decided to text him.
Hey, I’m in the truck. Are you coming out?
His reply came a few seconds later. No. I have things to do here. I’ll see you later.
Disappointment washed over me but I understood having to work. Our job insured you had no social life. I should never have gotten my hopes up.
K, headed home to get ready for tonight.
Sounds good. See you later.
CHAPTER
8
My mind was buzzing with thoughts of strange animals when I made it home. The photos were fresh in my mind. The thought of being hunted by one of those scary creatures gave me shivers. What frustrated me the most about my day should be Gage and how he was forced to ditch me, but I was pissed at Jay for lying to me and acting like it was all a joke.
Up in my room, I stopped in the doorway and found myself staring at the bed and remembering the night before. I sighed and dressed for my hunt tonight. Wearing black was not only good camouflage but I also enjoyed the look. I was not Goth but it was my signature color.
As I do every time, I had to prepare myself for the night ahead. Having a man or even creatures other than vampires on my mind could get me in trouble. I had to focus. I put my earbuds in and started to listen to some music. I was trying to pump myself up. Lying down on the bed I closed my eyes and started to think about what I need to do. I need to be quick, smart, and have my guard up. I need to get this guy out of my head. I needed to use caution while hunting. The most important thing was I needed to keep my guard up with Gage. He was still mysterious and I knew he was hiding something. I wished I could turn off the attraction. He was a likable person and knows how to suck you into his shit. Regret from the night before flooded my mind.
“Ugh! Jessica, focus!” I said out loud. “Do you have a death wish? Stop thinking about him and think about work.”
Gage was hiding things from me and I wanted to know why. Some years before I even started working for Jay, I was in a bad relationship, so I know how he’s feeling right now. I shouldn’t let this bother me. He needed time to heal after a blow to the heart, but he was hiding things much deeper than even that. The way he spoke to Jay blew my mind. I tried to clear my head of him but he had invaded my thoughts. I closed my eyes and thought about the night before. His skin was so hot to my touch. I wanted him so much. I wanted to feel his kiss on my now hardening nipples. I let my hand drift down my body and I began to stroke myself. I let a slight moan escape my lips.
Quickly, his face was replaced with the adorable face of Rayce. It surprised me, as I hadn’t spent much time with him. I wanted him to walk in as I touched myself and take over. The very thought made my pussy grow slick as I began to massage my swollen clit through my pants. I began to grow impatient and I slid my hand down my pants. I was sopping wet already. It had been too long since I had actual sex. I flicked my clit faster as I imagine Rayce using his tongue against me. I inserted one finger and that was all it took for me to explode with bliss. My body relaxed instantly.
“Shit. Where did that come from?” I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift off to sleep.
“Jessica, wake up,” a man whispered. I couldn’t open my eyes as his hands began to stroke my body gently. Soft kisses were stroking my neck and jaw. I moaned softly when he cupped my breast and then the other. “Jessica?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“You are so beautiful,” he said deeply. His lips finally met mine. The heat in the kiss pushed me to grab him and hold him close to my body. Our skin touched and I knew we were naked. His body had an all too familiar heat. His hair was short and thick to the touch. Our tongues twisted in a passion that ignited a fire between my thighs. His weight shifted and he was suddenly between them, stroking my slit with hi
s stiff cock. As we kissed, I wrapped my legs around his waist and with one thrust he entered me. I gasped as he stretched me, filling completely. “You are all I have ever wanted,” he said.
His voice was familiar to me but I couldn’t pluck it from my mind. My world was nothing but desire, and in that moment, I wanted nothing more than the man inside me.
“I want you too,” I rode the wave of pleasure he was giving me. Our bodies were a perfect fit. His mouth was a weapon he used against every curve of my body, lashing out like a painful whip, but I craved more. As he pumped into me, I clenched to his body, pleading for more. “Don’t stop!”
“Never. You are mine, forever.” His deep voice swathed around me like a tight sheet, locking me to only him. “I love you, Jessica.
My eyes flew open. The dream seemed so real and in that moment, I knew who the man was. The man I have wanted even longer than Gage. It was Rayce.
“That was intense.” Sweat had seemed to engulf my entire body during the dream. I was forced to take a quick shower and change before leaving. Now my mind was filled with a longing for the one man who wasn’t interested in me. I was angry that I allowed myself to dream about him. I was furious that I permitted him to invade me and bring my desires to the surface.
I grabbed my bag and headed to the office. I pulled into a parking lot and Gage was standing outside with his hands in his jacket pockets. Amazingly, seeing him looking all sexy frustrated me even more. My anger with him also came to fruition.
He smiled at me, “Hey, Jess.”
“Hey, what happened earlier?”
His brow furrowed, “I told you, I was busy.”
There was no denying I was on edge. Everything was hitting me all at once and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. “Sorry. I’m just frustrated.”
“Maybe I can help you release that frustration later,” he said with a sexy smile. I wanted to tell him to suck an egg but I couldn’t help myself. I was still attracted to him. After the dream, I had during my nap, my body was craving sex.
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